The survey also found that close to a third of respondents (29%) said they did not plan to vote this year, compared to 23% who said in July last year that they did not intend to vote in 2014 – an increase of 6%.
There were no significant differences amongst age or gender groups. Amongst race groups, coloured South Africans were the most likely to say they did not intend to vote this year, with 33% not planning to cast a ballot. In comparison, 29% of blacks and 28% of whites said they did not plan on going to the polls.
By region, younger potential voters in the North West, Gauteng and Mpumaplanga were most likely to claim they did not plan to vote, with 38%, 34% and 34%, respectively, saying they did not intend to participate in the elections. In contrast, respondents in KwaZulu-Natal were the least likely to say they planned to stay away, with about 1 in 4 (24%) saying they did not plan to vote. In comparison, 27% of respondents in the Western Cape had no plans to vote in the national elections this year.
